"Miss me? Come up here," Zhan Tianye extended his hand to Yun Xiao Jing.
It seemed he intended to hold Yun Xiao Jing.
Upon seeing this, Yun Xiao Jing instantly retreated a step.
As if afraid of being embraced by Zhan Tianye.
After running away, Yun Xiao Jing suddenly realized that by running, he had implicitly indicated he didn't want to be held.
Terrible!
His trash father would suspect him!
Zhan Tianye raised an eyebrow slightly.
Yun Xiao Jing, thinking quickly, his starry eyes suddenly welled up, "I'm afraid if I hug Godfather, I'll miss my own father even more, and I miss my mother."
The first half was a lie.
But the latter half was true.
He missed his mother!
He really wanted to see his mother!
What was so good about hugging a trash father!
As soon as he said this.
A hint of softness flickered in Zhan Tianye's dark eyes. "Come."
Yun Xiao Jing quickly took another step back, then dashed away, saying as he ran, "I'm going to find Brother Xiao Li!"
Watching Yun Xiao Jing run off, Zhan Tianye furrowed his brow.
"Alas, Xiao Jing misses his father and mother. Seeing the Prince triggers his sorrow; a pitiable child." Qiu Lu looked at the small retreating figure and felt an inexplicable pang of sadness.
For some reason, Zhan Tianye felt a slight ache in his chest. He withdrew his gaze from Yun Xiao Jing's back. "What does he like to eat? Have Steward Wang prepare it for him."
After descending from the pavilion.
Qiu Lu was pushing Zhan Tianye towards the study.
Suddenly, Zhan Tianye spoke, "Go and check on Xiao Li."
"Ah? Yes." Qiu Lu was startled for a moment, then quickly responded.
It seemed that Xiao Jing's arrival brought many benefits to both the Prince and the young heir!
"Your Highness, what about Miss Li's matter..." Qiu Lu suddenly remembered Miss Li's issue.
Due to Xiao Jing's appearance, he had actually forgotten about it.
Zhan Tianye's mind conjured the image of Li Yue Xian leaving earlier, her face covered in bird droppings.
He frowned.
"Send word that the rumors do not involve Li Yue Xian," Zhan Tianye commanded.
"Yes." Qiu Lu was surprised again.
He had originally thought the Prince would intervene to quell the Li family's current crisis, especially since Miss Li was to marry into the royal family.
He never expected that the Prince wouldn't bother.
...
Two hours later.
Yun Shu entered the palace once more.
This time, she was there to treat the young emperor.
Yun Changfeng held the medicine box.
He frowned slightly, noticing the scrutinizing eyes around him. "Our consecutive entries into the palace twice will surely lead people to speculate about your purpose. Your father has already spread word that you are here to teach His Majesty the zither."
Yun Shu smiled and nodded, "Father's consideration is truly thorough!"
He had even thought of this point.
"Your father has also investigated and found that someone had dug a pit beforehand and found the right people. Shu'er, your father will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen again!" Yun Changfeng was filled with self-reproach at this moment.
When he thought about these matters, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
Soon, they arrived at the sleeping quarters of the young emperor Zhan Tianhong.
Someone was already in the chamber.
Yun Shu glanced at Zhan Tianye unobtrusively.
Was he here to watch her treat Zhan Tianhong?
A small-minded person.
She sneered inwardly.
She had been seeing him constantly for the past two days and had been caught in embarrassing situations by him; truly unlucky.
"Second Miss Yun, you've finally arrived!" Zhan Tianhong said with some excitement upon seeing Yun Shu.
Although he was the ruler of a nation, he was still a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy, bearing much at such a young age.
Furthermore, he was now enduring the torment of illness.
At present, his complexion was still ashen, his eyes showing a hint of weakness, suggesting he had likely just suffered from the pain of his ailment again.
Yun Shu nodded.
She didn't say much.
Under Zhan Tianye's sharp, knife-like gaze, it was best for her to speak less.
"When I perform acupuncture, I hope for silence around me, otherwise it will affect my treatment," Yun Shu said, taking out wrapped silver needles and a small porcelain bottle from the medicine box.
The bottle contained dark pills.
She handed the pill to Zhan Tianhong. "Please, Your Majesty, take the pill first."
Zhan Tianhong trusted Yun Shu, for reasons he himself didn't understand, but it was a feeling of deep trust. He took the pill and was about to swallow it without a second thought.
Zhan Tianye's sharp, cold eyes fixed on the pill. "Wait a moment."
"What is it? Fifth Brother?" Zhan Tianhong looked at Zhan Tianye in surprise.
Zhan Tianye gestured for Qiu Lu to retrieve the pill. "Let me see it first."
Qiu Lu stepped forward, his hands extended towards Zhan Tianhong, signaling him to place the pill in his palm. "Your Majesty."
Zhan Tianhong immediately looked at Yun Shu.
Yun Shu secretly rolled her eyes, feeling quite speechless.
"Does Prince Ye suspect me of poisoning His Majesty?" Yun Shu asked.
She wasn't stupid. She had no quarrel with Zhan Tianhong. Why would she poison him under the watchful eyes of several people?
Was she foolish, or were others stupid?
Zhan Tianye did not reply, merely scrutinizing her with his sharp, cold eyes.
"Your Highness Prince Ye need not doubt. With this general present, Shu'er would certainly not harm His Majesty," Yun Changfeng immediately stated.
Although Zhan Tianye disliked Yun Shu, and even suspected her of having ulterior motives by returning to the capital after five years, he greatly respected Yun Changfeng. He replied, "Alright."
Qiu Lu returned the pill to Zhan Tianhong.
Upon receiving it, Zhan Tianhong eagerly put it into his mouth.
Seeing that Zhan Tianhong showed no reservations towards Yun Shu, Zhan Tianye's eyes deepened slightly.
This was the first time he had seen Zhan Tianhong trust someone so completely.
Next.
"Please, Your Majesty, lie on the bed and remove your upper garment to expose your back," Yun Shu casually instructed Zhan Tianhong while meticulously sterilizing the silver needles.
Upon hearing he had to remove his clothes, Zhan Tianhong's ashen face suddenly flushed red.
Yun Changfeng also pursed his lips.
Shu'er is unmarried; this...
However, seeing Shu'er's composed demeanor, she was now a physician and did not concern herself with distinctions between men and women.
But...
He glanced at Zhan Tianye.
Zhan Tianye's dark eyes narrowed slightly.
Yun Shu, engrossed in wiping the silver needles, did not notice Zhan Tianhong's blush or the expressions of others.
After she finished wiping, she looked down and saw that Zhan Tianhong was still wearing his clothes.
She frowned. "Why has Your Majesty not undressed yet?"
Zhan Tianhong felt guilty under Yun Shu's gaze, and his face turned even redder. "I... I... Can I receive acupuncture without undressing?"
"No."
This was the first time Zhan Tianhong feared a woman's anger. He glanced at his fifth brother, then removed his clothes, exposing his back.
He had been tormented by illness for so long that he was very thin.
So thin that it was as if only a layer of skin covered his bones.
He never allowed anyone near him even for bathing.
Yet, for the first time, he exposed his back to a woman.
His heart trembled slightly.
The tips of his ears also turned red.
Then.
Yun Shu, holding silver needles, swiftly and without hesitation began to perform acupuncture on his back.
One silver needle after another was inserted.
It was a dizzying sight for the onlookers.
Yun Changfeng was utterly astonished.
Shu'er was so skilled!
Who was Shu'er's master during these five years? How much hardship did she endure?
Zhan Tianye's eyes deepened.